


goldenheart

by kiyala



Series: the heart of the mountain [1]
Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fairy Tales, M/M, Rumplestiltskin - Freeform, dwarves love gold, this doesn't have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-31
Updated: 2013-01-31
Packaged: 2017-11-27 16:37:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/664146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The heart of the mountain demands a sacrifice from the dwarven king. Fili pays his price.</p>
            </blockquote>





	goldenheart

**Author's Note:**

> This an AU in which HEY! They survive the Battle of the Five Armies! And things still go to shit! Because apparently I'm a horrible person like that. 
> 
>  
> 
> Written for [this](http://youlighttheskyfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/36829122226/) fairy tale challenge, for the prompts _Rumplestiltskin_ and _turquoise_.
> 
> My love and thanks to [pie](http://piecrmbs.tumblr.com/) who is my favourite person to plot with. Even if we end up coming up with depressing shit.

They find the creature by accident. Thorin is bound to the throne, both by duty and the fact that he can no longer walk very far. The guilt sits heavily on Fili's shoulders; it's his fault, when it all comes down to it. In the Battle of the Five Armies, he was the one who had dropped his guard to help Kili fight off his attackers. He hadn't spared a thought to how he was exposing himself at the time, but Thorin had noticed. An orc upon a warg had run him down, and the impact had crushed Thorin's right leg. Fili and Kili had stood over him and killed anybody that had come close, keeping him safe, making sure he survived and became the new King Under the Mountain.

Thorin hasn't been able to walk properly since. He has a cane, carved of oak and set with gold and precious stones, and he already has the respect of his kin, for the very fact that he'd set out to reclaim their home and succeeded. He is kind and wise, and the throne suits him well.

Still, Fili can sometimes see the restlessness in Thorin's eyes; the frustration that he cannot get up and take a walk through the old halls of Erebor, just as he did when he was younger.

Fili and Kili were both young when Smaug attacked; they have no memory of their ancestral home, but they explore it and learn it. Most dwarves are still settling back into their reclaimed home and the mining has not yet begun in earnest. Fili has overheard Balin reporting to Thorin that those who _have_ begun mining have not found much. It is not an issue yet, as the gold they have recovered from Smaug is enough for now, but Fili knows that it cannot last for long.

He and Kili develop a habit of exploring the old mines, trying to map out the veins of gold once again. They find ore and crystals that they bring back for Thorin, and his smiles encourage them to keep looking. They explore further and further, until they find a curious tunnel, long and narrow. It's only wide enough for them to walk one at a time but unlike the other tunnels they've been in, the floor is even. Instead of rough rocks underfoot, there are even steps carved from stone. Kili, who is leading the way, holds his torch higher and Fili notices that even the walls appear smoother than in any of the other tunnels.

"What is this place?" Kili asks in a hushed whisper, as if he's afraid of being overheard, even though they've been walking for more than hour without seeing another dwarf. Not that Fili can blame him; he can't shake the feeling that there is someone else nearby.

They continue walking, until the tunnel stops sloping, and the steps turn into a paved floor. It leads into a small room, lit by the flickering light of a fire in the corner. The floor is patterned with thin, faint lines of gold that all converge in the very centre. Kili walks towards the small mound of gold, holding his torch to it. It looks like it could just be any other rock, if not for its colour and the way it shines in the light.

Kili reaches out to touch it, and that's when Fili realises that they are not alone.

"Kili." His voice is sharp, his eyes not leaving the corner opposite the fire. There's a large, comfortable chair against the wall and a bed beside it. There's someone in the bed— _something_ —young, and almost beautiful, with the same weathered look that even the most precious treasure has when it's been lying untouched for far too long.

Its eyes are open, wide and round, and it sits up when it realises that it's been noticed.

"Visitors." Its voice is quiet and hoarse from lack of use. Whatever it is, it's not a race that Fili recognises.

What might have once been a full beard is wispy and barely there now, though the hair has not turned grey with age. The creature's fingers are long and thin, and it strokes its chin.

"I haven't had visitors in a long, long time."

Kili draws his sword with one hand, still holding onto his torch with the other. He points it at the creature and frowns. "Who are you?"

" _Oh_!" The creature's eyes widen with delight. Getting to its feet, it pushes Kili's blade aside like it's inconsequential and takes a better look at him before turning to Fili. "Oh, yes. You certainly have the look of the line of Durin."

Kili steps forward, but Fili stops him, turning to the creature. "And what do you know of the line of Durin?"

"Oh, plenty," it replies with a toothy grin. "I knew Thrain quite well."

"Thrain." Fili's brows draw together. "Our grandfather?"

"Thrain, son of Thror?" the creature laughs, a dry, rasping sound, and shakes its head. "No, Thror would never bring him to see me, the old fool. Thrain the Old. The very first King Under the Mountain."

"Impossible," Kili mutters, shaking his head. "That was a millenium ago."

"Has it really been that long?" The creature hums to itself. "It _is_ easy to lose track of time, here. Especially with that dreadful dragon around. Though I suppose that if you are here, it would mean Smaug is gone."

"What _are_ you?" Fili asks.

"I," it replies, placing a hand on its chest and bowing slightly, "am the heart of the mountain. Where do you think all the gold comes from? I have had a long-standing agreement with the dwarves of this mountain ever since Thrain first brought his people here. I will help the king and his people, I will allow them to prosper. In exchange, I ask only for one thing. Over the years, each king has come down to see me, to strike a deal. The continued prosperity of the kingdom, at the price of the one thing that is most precious to them. They might not know what that is at the time, but I will find out and when it is time, I will ask for my payment."

Fili and Kili glance at each other, both of them frowning.

"The last king I have struck a deal with is Thror, son of Dain. He did not know what was most precious to him at the time, so I waited. I knew that whatever it was, he had not found it yet. What are a few years, to somebody like me?"

"The Arkenstone," Fili murmurs.

"Yes." The creature smiles widely. "He loved it so. I could feel his adoration, from all the way down here. It is a shame that is has been so long. As the inhabitants of this mountain thrive, so do I. Most kings are brought down here by their predecessors before their coronation. I am yet to meet the new King Under the Mountain. Once I do, I am certain the gold will be flowing in the mines just as it always was. Will you bring him to me?"

"He cannot walk down here," Fili replies quietly. "Will you go to see him instead?"

The creature shakes his head. "It does not work like that. I do not leave this place. If he cannot meet with me, then a deal cannot be made."

"Then make it with me," Fili speaks up. "I am Fili, sister-son of Thorin, King Under the Mountain. I will be his heir, when the time comes. I will make two deals, if that is what you want. One for Thorin, and one for myself."

"That is a rare kindness that you show," the creature muses, tilting its head to the side. "One driven by guilt, I suspect. How curious."

"Will you make your deal with me?" Fili asks, his voice steely.

"Yes," the creature replies. "And as it has been so very long… I will only ask the one price, for the prosperity of two kings."

"That which is most precious to me," Fili nods, mentally sorting through his share of treasure, his favourite weapons.

"You might not know what that is yet, but you will, when the time comes. And when that time comes, I will collect it. If you refuse…"

"You have my word," Fili says solemnly.

"Oh, this one has honour." The creature smiles. "Good. Very good."

«·»

Over time, Erebor begins to prosper once more. The miners find the veins of gold, and precious stones slowly appear in the soil once more. Thorin does not like sitting idle, but the mines are too dangerous for him to walk through. Dis arrives at Erebor just as it begins to prosper, and as happy as she is to be reunited with her sons, she spends the majority of her time by Thorin's side. Fili and Kili encourage it, comforted by the sight of Thorin in the care of Balin and Dis, while they do what they can for the kingdom.

Even if Thorin is unable to keep a close eye on the mines, he is more than capable of carrying out the rest of his duties. Fili keeps a close eye on everything, learning as he goes, so that when his time comes, he will be able to rule just as well.

Not that his time will come any time soon. Thorin rules for decades, and it's a peaceful time. Without the constant need to move from place to place, Fili and Kili find that they have more time for one another. They've always cared deeply for each other, but that's always come second to their duty to Thorin. Now, they spend countless hours in each other's company. If they were thought to be inseparable before, it's nothing compared to the way they are now.

It's easy for Fili to forget about the creature living at the heart of the mountain when he is lying in the bed he shares with Kili, with their arms wrapped around each other. Kili has finally grown a short beard, and Fili has taken to braiding it every morning. One morning, as Kili lies back and smiles up at him, Fili is hit by the sudden fear that this will be the price.

He shrugs the thought off and it's gone, just as quickly as it had come. He leans over and kisses Kili deeply, and when they end up finally getting out of bed a good two hours later than intended, he can't find it in himself to mind at all.

«·»

The creature appears unchanged when Fili goes down to visit it. Kili is with him, just as always. It's the day before Fili's coronation; Thorin, in his old age, has decided that it is time he stepped down from the throne.

It had been Kili's suggestion to go down to the heart of the mountain. When they reach the small room, the creature is sitting on the mound of gold in the centre, clearly waiting for them.

"Ah, the soon-to-be king." Bending into a deep bow, the creature looks up with a wide grin. "Here to pay your price? Funny, most other kings almost needed to be _forced_ to come down here. Do you know what it is that I am going to ask? Because I feel that if you did, you would not have come here so eagerly."

The fear that grips Fili's heart has become a familiar one now. He stiffens, and the creature must notice, because it laughs.

"Unless, of course, it wasn't _your_ idea to come here."

With wide eyes, Fili turns to his brother. Kili looks calm and unsurprised, as though he's known all along. Perhaps he has.

"He came down to visit me alone," the creature explains. "Often. He could feel it, he could _tell_ that you cared for him. More than you cared for anything else."

"No," Fili protests, shaking his head vehemently. "I will give you anything. Everything. Take all my gold, all my treasure. But let me keep Kili."

"I believe you have this backwards. _You_ will have everything. All of the gold, all of the treasure. And I will take your brother."

"We agreed to this a long time ago." Kili places his hand on Fili's shoulder.

Fili spins, grabbing his brother by the shoulders and shaking him. " _We_? I was the one who agreed to it. Who was too stupid to realise that I was giving you up for… for _gold_!"

"For the kingdom," Kili corrects. "For our people. I do not mind."

"You do not _mind_ …" Fili barks out a laugh, tears stinging his eyes. He shakes his head, turning back to the creature. "So you will take him from me, then."

"Not today," it replies. "Or tomorrow. But I will take him. When the time comes."

"And when will that be?"

The creature laughs quietly. "You will find out when it comes, I suppose."

«·»

Fili spends a year living in fear. He goes to sleep each night, clinging to Kili, unsure of whether he'll still be there in the morning.

Kili is patient with him, calming him and assuring him that everything will be fine. Fili refuses to believe him, but that doesn't stop Kili from trying.

"What if I refused?" Fili asks one night, when they're lying beside each other. It's a warm night, but every time Fili thinks of the price he must pay, it chills him to the bone.

"You could," Kili allows, "but the price would become worse."

"How much worse could it get?" Fili mutters bitterly.

Kili sighs. "Thror refused to give up the Arkenstone, when it was asked of him. He claimed that it was rightfully his and nobody else could lay claim to it. Then Smaug attacked, and he lost much more than just the Arkenstone."

"So you are saying that if I refuse to lose you… I will only end up losing you anyway, and much more?"

Kili rolls onto his side, taking Fili's face into his hands and kissing him. "I wish there was a solution to this. I wish that I could stay by your side, Fili, and watch you turn into the greatest king our kind has ever known. If I can at least be the price you had to pay… if that helps your reign at all… then that is more than I can ask for."

Fili wraps himself around his brother and simply holds on. There's a point, every night, when words feel futile, when Fili can feel his despair crushing him. He lets Kili kiss it away, distracting him until the despair is nothing but a dark corner in his mind rather than a blanket that covers everything. He rolls Kili onto his back and strips him naked. If he loses himself in Kili's soft cries of pleasure, then at least he won't need to think of anything else for a while.

Then, one morning, they both wake with heavy hearts and one thought that neither of them can ignore.

"It is time," Kili says softly, reaching for Fili's hand.

"Yes." Fili brings the hand to his lips, kissing it. "I suppose it is."

"I love you," Kili tells him. "You are the most precious thing in the world to me, Fili. I want you to know that despite everything else, I am glad that I am equally precious to you."

Later that day, when they are in the mines, Kili falls to his death.

It's not his real death; Fili knows that, but his grief is still real. He knows that Kili is with the creature, that they have planned this together to make his disappearance seem less suspicious. Kili is not the first dwarf to fall into the depth of the mines, and he will not be the last.

Dis and Thorin are beside themselves with grief, and when Fili requests that he be left alone, everyone immediately complies. They warn him to be careful when he walks towards the mines, but do not try and stop him. They assume that he is looking for his brother's body and in a way, he is.

He walks to the heart of the mountain, the directions burned into his mind. He doesn't know what this will achieve, but he needs to see the creature, needs to know that Kili is safe with him. He needs to know that Kili is still alive, even if they cannot be together.

When he reaches the small room, he nearly drops his torch with relief when he sees Kili sitting on the bed.

"You are safe," Fili gasps, placing the torch into a bracket on the wall so he can throw his arms around Kili. "You are alive. You are _safe_."

"Of course I am," Kili replies, stroking Fili's hair. "Though I would have given anything to not have seen your face as I fell."

Fili presses their foreheads together and exhales loudly. "So, it's keeping you here, then."

"It?"

"The creature," Fili says.

"Look around," Kili gestures to the room. "There is nobody here but us, Fili. You are the king of our people. I am the heart of the mountain."

Fili's eyes widen in horror. "You've taken its place."

"Erebor is my responsibility now," Kili tells him. "I have the power to make sure that you will be known as the richest of all Kings Under the Mountain. Your miners will find gold and jewels unrivalled among all those in the world. Your people will thrive."

" _Our_ people," Fili corrects.

Kili only gives him a sad smile, and kisses him. "Your people, Fili. They're yours, now."

«·»

Fili goes down to the heart of the mountain to visit Kili the very next day. He carries a large basket of food with him, packed with all of Kili's favourite foods.

"Thank you," Kili says, when Fili sets it down in front of him, "but I do not need any of it."

Kili is sitting in the centre of the room, and his fingers are tracing the veins of gold in the floor, more interested in them than the food. Fili sits down in the chair by the wall.

Kili looks up again. "Oh, but I am touched that you thought of me. I would like it if you stayed for a while. You can eat, and I will show you what I can do now. How I give the mountain its riches."

Fili stays, because he can't bring himself to leave. He can barely bring himself to watch Kili at work, knowing that this side of him is not part of the dwarf that he's known for as long as he can remember.

He does not visit again for a week. Whenever he begins to walk towards the deeper tunnels, Fili finds himself stopping. Seeing Kili now feels like he is taunting himself with what he will never have again. Kili is still alive, but he is already so very different. Fili is woken every night by nightmares, some that feature Kili losing all interest in him, others showing Kili slowly withering away until he looks like the creature they'd first found.

He cannot sleep, he can barely make himself eat, and he finally caves, going down to see Kili.

"I brought you your favourite hood," Fili says, unable to keep the hopeful note out of his voice. "You would wear it all the time. I am surprised you were not wearing it the day that you…"

"I left it behind on purpose," Kili replies. He's not sitting in the centre of the room this time, but on the edge of his bed. He smiles at Fili. "For you. I have no need for it any longer."

"I see." Fili looks down at it, fingers stroking over the soft fabric. It had once been a brilliant blue, but time and use has turned it pale. Now, it is closer to turquoise than anything else. "I will keep it, then. I will take good care of it."

Kili gets to his feet, crossing the room and taking Fili's face into his hands. "The more often you come to see me, the more difficult this will be. For both of us, but mainly for you. I love you and that will never change, but I am not your Kili any more. Yes, that is still a great part of who I am, but you must also let me be the heart of the mountain. You must let me do my work, the work I came down here to do. For you."

Fili shuts his eyes, fighting his grief back down. He feels Kili's lips on his forehead, soft and gentle as ever.

"You have a kingdom to rule," Kili tells him. "And I have a mountain to take care of. Go."

Fili numbly walks back, his fingers still caressing the material of Kili's hood. There are important matters that need to be taken care of, that have piled up in the time that Fili had been unable to do anything but miss his brother.

Before he attends to that, however, he goes to find his seamstresses. They're busy working on a new piece of ceremonial armour for him, but they stop when he holds the hood out towards them.

"Cut it up," he instructs. "And take care. It belonged to Kili. I want a square of it, in the lining of all my clothes. So that it sits above my heart."

The first patch of it is sewn into the clothes Fili is wearing now. It should be weightless, but Fili imagines that he can feel it against his skin. Just as Kili is with him in the gold and the gems that come from the mines, he is with Fili now, forever beside his heart.

Right where he belongs.


End file.
